Victory gardens grow with pride

Friday

Jun 28, 2013 at 12:01 AMJun 28, 2013 at 9:11 AM

Walk into any of the dozens of community gardens in the city, and it quickly becomes clear that what is being tilled and tended and harvested isn't just locally produced food. It's neighborliness. It's pride. It's a reminder of the good things that can bloom when people set their minds and muscles to it.

Walk into any of the dozens of community gardens in the city, and it quickly becomes clear that what is being tilled and tended and harvested isn’t just locally produced food. It’s neighborliness. It’s pride. It’s a reminder of the good things that can bloom when people set their minds and muscles to it.

People, like plants, thrive best when they are well rooted. That’s the case on the Near East Side, where a community garden has become the rallying point for beleaguered residents.

Stoddart Avenue is a stubby street whose spelling takes up more space in the county map book than the actual stretch of road, tucked off E. Main Street near Fairwood Avenue. It has fewer than 30 homes, many of which are classic brick duplexes built around 1900.

Trouble keeps finding its way down this street. In the past three years, three men have been killed on Stoddart. Andre Martin, 36, was the most-recent casualty, when he was hit in the chest by gunfire in the glare of midday on May 21. Martin staggered to a front porch, but died at a hospital 90 minutes later.

He wasn’t even a resident.

“It’s not people who live on Stoddart Avenue, but it always seems to end up on our street for the finale,” said longtime homeowner Frank Carter.

These days, neighbors are fighting back, drawing a line — or rather, digging many of them in the dirt, to seed with flowers, herbs, berries and vegetables. Some of this is donated to local homeless shelters and food pantries. Some goes to tide over families in lean times.

Residents say the Stoddart Avenue Community Garden has introduced neighbors to each other, cultivating a sense of community.

The garden got its start because a Bexley lawyer got tired of driving to a garden club in Dublin and decided it was time to organize a community garden closer to home. Priscilla Hapner, 47, approached city officials about the plot of land in 2009, and didn’t take “no” for an answer.

A member of a neighborhood ministry said Hapner started knocking on doors and encouraged people to get involved with what started as a stony, weedy lot.

Desiree Stewart, 60, has lived on the street for two decades: “I’ve learned a lot from (Hapner), and she’s good with the kids. They love her.”

Studies show community gardens produce more than healthy food for their neighbors; they have a calming influence.

The Green Institute in Minneapolis says gardens “increase eyes on the street,” leading to a decrease in crime. And they literally cool down an urban neighborhood, offering a green respite.

Community gardens also provide opportunities for adults to mentor youths, and they nurture appreciation for other cultures. It’s not uncommon at many community gardens to hear someone lean over a plot and ask, “So, how do you cook that?” Gardeners swap recipes, and end up with more than an authentic ethnic dish; they’ve made a friend.

Community gardens also help improve diets, especially because children are more likely to try a vegetable they grew. And gardening is an outdoor physical activity.

That’s a lot of activity to happen in just 350 square feet. But a seed can grow.